The family of a murdered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is demanding to know if U.S. agencies could have seized the weapons used to kill him before they crossed the border into Mexico.

Amador and Mary Zapata also believe their son Jaime, who was only in Mexico for 9 days before his death, was not adequately trained for his assignment, a trip on one of Mexicos most dangerous roads in a $160,000 armored Suburban.

We want to find out the truth, Amador Zapata said from the living room of his Brownsville, Texas home. Who thought of this program? How come they let those weapons go  when they knew who had bought them? How come they let them go through the border  without trying to stop them? Thats what we want to know.

The Zapatas had four sons employed by ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Jaime, the second oldest, was gunned down while driving from Mexico City to Monterrey last February by assassins for the Zeta cartel. The guns used to kill him were purchased in Texas.

I dont know anything now that I didnt know the first day, said Mary Zapata, surrounded by photos and memorabilia associated with her sons life. I expected them (ICE supervisors) to sit with us and give us a report. This is what we have so far. We do not know.

The Zapatas hired former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Martinez and Ray Thomas, a south Texas litigator, to find out the facts.

The family would like answers. The family would like closure, said Martinez. We dont know if this is a gun walking operation but there is circumstantial evidence that there was.

Martinez is referring to two guns found February 15, 2011 at the murder scene in Mexico.

Did he get out of it and was killed? If not, that was a crappy armoring job for $160k. He should have been able to ride it out inside until help arrived if it was done properly, unless the ambushers used RPGs or mortars. I can’t remember the details of the story.

That terrifying sound  a quiet click  set into motion events that remain under investigation. When Zapata needed it most, the Suburbans elaborate armoring was rendered worthless by a consumer-friendly automatic setting useful for family vacations and hurried commuters but not for U.S. agents driving through a red zone in Mexico.

7
posted on 03/30/2012 1:03:25 PM PDT
by TigersEye
(Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.